Thursday, August 6, 2009

Reunion Finale

What a wild scramble it was to get Grandma back home to Logan, get Charity home for an 8:15 meeting in Salt Lake and get the house and food ready for a “Greet Charity” after her homecoming at our house for about 100 family members and friends.

As it turned out Dad’s car packed with Talmadge and Anita, Eli and Julie and Charity had a flat tire must outside Woodruff at 11 p.m. Since they were custom tires, there was a special key that was needed to change the tires and of course, it was NOT in the car. Dad, the master of “Let me drop everything and get you out of this crisis” was on the phone for an hour working out a rescue.

After much ado, it was decided that a towing company from Evanston would go pick up the car, with all the kids in it and tow it back to Salt Lake on a flatbed truck. That story wasn’t too funny by 2 a.m. when they finally arrived home but everyone was good natured about it and it’s a fabulous memory! Plus they helped Charity work out her talk for her homecoming the next day!

What a wonderful experience it was to hear Charity report her mission briefly to a wonderful group of men (the High Council) the next morning. That along with her truly amazing homecoming talk made that day one none of us will every forget. Having every single member of the family sitting on those first four rows at church is truly an amazing memory!

Afterward it was so fun to greet family and friends for the last time, after 9 missionary farewells and homcoming…11 counting our dear Eva and Eldar!

Looks on faces tells the real story:

Second Parents:

Future Missionary:

We even caught Lenna and her wonderful supportive family just as they were about to leave:

It’s the end of an era! A plethora of Farewells and Homecomings have come and gone as we have sent 11 missionaries all over the world for eighteen months (women) to two years (men(. With our in-laws we have 16 missionaries and 12 languages, not to mention the thousands of people who have touched by their good works and loyal dedication to our Savior Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. How grateful we are for the lives that have been not only touched, but changed forever (theirs as well as those they reached) because of their incredible efforts to love…and love more!

1 comment:

what a darling returned missionary your Charity is and congratulations to you guys!! We have done the "farewells & homecomings" 5 times with 1 more to go as our Van is a Senior this year in HS but how we look foreword to having a missionary out again!!! we just enjoyed a wonderful reunion of our own...the Van Epps reunion that we called PICNIC IN THE PINES...2009...those gatherings are fabulous (to use one of your favorite words :)!!! I met your daughter, Shawni, about a month ago at a restaurant here in Mesa... recognized her as yours in the crowd. . .she sure looks like you guys!!well, just wanted to leave a note to tell you hi and WOW what a great posterity Linda. much love!!!